Final answer:
The spring constant, also known as force constant, is an inherent characteristic of the spring itself and does not depend on the mass of the load attached; it affects the stretch or compression of the spring according to Hooke's Law and also influences the frequency of oscillation in a simple harmonic motion scenario.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question whether the constant of the spring depends on the mass of the load attached is false. The spring constant, or force constant, is a property of the spring itself and does not change with the mass of the load. However, the mass does affect the frequency of oscillation when the spring is part of a simple harmonic oscillator system.
For example, when two different springs with force constants 5 N/m and 4 N/m are subjected to the same force, they will stretch differently due to their differing stiffness levels. But their force constants remain unchanged regardless of the mass or force applied. It's this stiffness that dictates how much a spring will stretch or compress for a given force (Hooke's Law: F = -kx, where F is the force exerted on the spring, x is the displacement of the spring, and k is the spring constant).
In simple harmonic motion scenarios, such as a weight hanging from a spring, the frequency of the oscillation is given by the formula f = 1/(2π)√(k/m), where k is the spring constant and m is the mass attached to the spring. This formula shows that the frequency is indeed dependent on the mass and spring constant, but not that the spring constant itself depends on mass.